Brian, a few fig pics as promised) Had to find the stupid card reader since I was going to post last week and finally found it today.

nice looking flowers and figs. Do those figs change from green when they ripen. The latest in my garden.

Cory I have found that spinach is a waste of time for a late crop. My bok-choy, beet,collards and turnips are doing well.

Steve

Well guys, your gardens look great! Mike, you still have a lot in your greenhouse. Mine got up to this week even with the shadecloth, the exhaust fan and mister going full blast and the door opened. Everything is looking so nice and Mike, you even have quite a few orchid blooms too. I have a few also but forgot to take pictures when I was home. Steve the Fukushu Kumquats are doing nicely under your ownership. My mother Fukushu now has kumquat fruit. As you say they bloom and set fruit much later than my other citrus. It is a very nicely shaped and pretty tree. Mike, with this hot spell, your Meyer Lemon will probably produce flowers and set fruit. It must smell nice in there with the Sharry Baby type, the gardenia, the Brasovolas all blooming. You have a lot of white flowered orchids blooming at the moment. The same with me. Your banana is so much larger than mine. Any sign of bananas starting? I now have a couple of figs on my plant too, but I keep cutting it back as it is shading my citrus, tomatoes and peppers. My figs never get ripe in time to eat them or the critters get to them first when they occasionally ripen on time. This winter it died back to the ground. Last summer it got above my 3 story high roof but is only 1 story tall this summer. It is starting to grow back with a vengeance though and beginning to spread and take over all the space. Steve are you espaliering your tangerine tree. That might be nice to keep it fitting in your winter greenhouse and leave room for your other winter crops too. My Lemonade Tree is also sending out a lot of new growth finally. Maybe it is a late starter like the Kumquats. Your beets are growing well. It must be hot work for Brian building his new greenhouse. We must remember that if any of us decide to build new or expand in the future and start while it is still cooler. Hard to do though if our plants still need to be in the original greenhouse for warmth. We do what we can. I can't wait to see pictures of how it is coming along. The base may be the hardest as the timber is heavy and getting it level is so important so the upper part goes smoothly. I would so like to put an extension on mine. I guess I should be content with what 8 have. Thanks for sharing your pictures Mike and Steve.

Cory

Hi Mikey Cory Steve and my good friend Maggy . Beautiful pics guy's !!!! . Mikey those figs look delicious . They look just like my fig fruit but not this year they are growing very slowly . Some of your figs look very ripe .My fig is a White Kadota what variety is yours and is the flesh pink like mine? Did you find Mikey that storing them in the basement last winter helped? Mikey your lemon tree looks quit content in your GH it looks extremely healthy . Looks to me like your going to have to jack the GH up soon your lemon tree is pressing against the ceiling . Mike you have such a beautiful garden love the banana tree that thing is huge . You really are a master gardener !!! So beautiful buddy . Cory Mikey I am so embarrassed the GH is going sooo slowly . There is so little time to do any work on it after the usual chores you know cleaning the house , laundry , banking , grocery shopping etc etc lol does it sound like I am complaining lol. Cory Mikey yesterday in Calgary Alberta they had wet snow unbelievable it's only the middle of August , I just hope that is not a sign of how this winter is going to go . Cory I am still on the foundation and it was extremely hot work thank goodness for the pool . We should fingers crossed be finished the foundation tomorrow . You are so right Cory the foundation has to be very level that's what is taking the time very tedious. I bet Steve could have done the whole thing in one weekend, he has so much energy . Cory are you going back to the beach before the summer ends and Mikey have you made it to the beach yet? Can you guy's believe next week is the last full week of August , how time flies !! . You guy's have a great night . Maggy I hope your enjoying the beautiful weekend . I bet your enjoying your evening with a nice thick steak and a bottle of Portuguese wine . Take care everyone .

Brian

Brian It took me a month to build my greenhouse last year. I had no design that utilized the shapes of glass I had. The labor was equivalent to 60 hours of actual work. This year I have a more definite Idea of what to build but It will be from scratch. I also am retired but work 10 hours a week to cover my hobbies. I have found that If I grow 20 fig trees in 12 gallon containers I can expect to get close to 100 figs average each as long as I grow on the roof. My greens will grow well at ground level with only 1/3 the sunlight. I have completed those test with excellent results. My in ground tangerine trees are getting espaliered to my house and sent horizontally 8 feet before rising as adult wood to produce as if they were grafted at 6 inches from ground.

Steve

Hello everyone...Looks like we are all having a great summer and getting good results! At least I am getting warmer weather this year...I had many a cold cloudy days last year and only topped 90 once..This year we hit it 7 days..What a difference it makes in your tropicals and figs...I am debating whether or not if I want to plant a Chicago hardy in the ground? The only thing is that I would probably get growth to start too late every spring since winter can linger into April...Hum?

Your plants are all looking amazing....Just a HUGE wow! I am already thinking about grouping my plants together as the fall starts its approach. They are scattereed every where...

Brian. I can't believe that you're still working on that greenhouse..I wish I had friends to help me out..Goodness forbid I have anyone interested in what I do unless I pay them( . Still no THUNDER storms..Nothing..Today and yesterday it was just gloomy and grey, so different from years past..I swear I live in the coast of Maine..That is the weather I get these past few years...Not like it use to be..But at least I have been getting hot without rain...Oh well..lol MIss you buddy...Brian, what happened to the explanations of teh figs I have? I hate that when you write something and post, and it's not there. Arg.

Maggy I miss you too...Maggy, where have you been? I have been so sick these days but better today)

Cory, I am so happy to hear you are ok. You have pics to share? I hope so. I always love them) Cory, the key is to get figs that ripen with their first onset of fruit in spring..Some are early ripers while others need long summers and hot sun which we don't have..I have two Chicago Hardy and they get LOTS of fruit, but they never grow fast enough for me to get anything. Arg. I will show you later..I had to order figs specifically for early ripening for our area..Thank you for you kind words) I hope many times often that your family is ok. Say Hi to your brother, will you? By the way, your Hoya you sent me looks great! Cory, thanks for the encouargement! It has yet to get flowers this year..All it wants to do is grow.I think I have better pull back on fertilizer, or maybe cool nights will trigger that. Cory, my greenhouse nevr gets that hot, thank God, unless I forget to open the doors, and even then no hotter than 105..Hugs

Brian, I could of sworn I posted the name of my favorite Fig and the name of that one above... WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT THERE WAS SNOW? Are you sure you were not having a nightmare? That's impossible although with that Artic Circle being rearranged with all the extra HOT air bumping into it from the western U.S. I would not be surprised...They are saying we are in store for a milder winter, but I don't believe that for one sec..You watch...Summer will go out like a bomb just like it came in..Hot, the cold and freezes just like that..That is why I am wasting no time getting things ready for things to come in. I hope you get that greenhouse up in time and can afford to heat it. Look, if you refer ten electrical customers to me through my store front, since I an acredited to supply energy, you get yours for free..Just something to think about.lol I just looked up the next 12 days and all I see is 80's, thank God! I have been dreading teh 70's because that is when my nights start geting to cold for many of my plants..Cry..Hugs buddy

Mike an in ground tree would be a waste of time and money for you. To far north, not enough sunlight particularly in the late summer and fall. To many shade casting object near your tree. I have an in ground hardy Chicago fig and most my figs don't make it. My container figs do produce well with an average of 10 figs/ gallon of container if grown on my roof. I am preparing 25 cutting so that I will have 30-35 fig trees in 10 gallon containers. I should get about 2000-3000 figs next year. The Hardy Chicago fig is a real winner but grow it in a container

My in ground fig 10 FT by 10FT by 8 ft with 300-300 figs

Hi Mikey buddy . Glad to hear your getting many hot days this summer it does make a big difference with the citrus . Mikey buddy hope your feeling better , what were you sick with and no work is not a virus . Glad your feeling better buddy . Mikey I almost bought a Hardy Chicago fig I thought it would do well in my backyard but I missed the clearance sale maybe next year . I don't think I will get any ripe figs this year . My watermelons in the GH are becoming quit large to my surprise . Mikey they are beginning to back off on the super warm winter and they are now saying it will be a normal one . I just wish I could remember what a normal winter is like haven't had one of those for a long time . I am beginning to feel the squeeze now there are just a few weekends left to get this darn GH up . I am looking at the foundation and it definitely looks like it's going to need a few tweaks . The middle of September looks very cool . I have the week of labor day off and it looks like rain all week YUK . I was also wondering Mikey how much my hydro is going to go up lol . The new GH will be in a much sunnier location almost all day sunshine that's if the sun comes out this winter . Hay any free hydro would be appreciated lol . Your so kind lol. Mikey I wish like you that someone would come along and help like that's going to happen we are on are own it looks . Mikey here is a pic of what we have done so far just pitiful lol. Big gigantic hug to you my friend . Steve your figs look great . I think I will try a HARDY Chicago fig next year . My watermelons are really coming on fast now I will take a pic when I pick them . Maggy Cory how are things ? Hoping that are two favorite gals are doing well .

Brian

Brian it it looks real nice. looks like a 12 by 16 foot-er. Sunlight all day is the ticket. I hope thing progress smoothly.

Steve

Thx Steve . It does look like that 12 x 16 but its only a 8x12 . It's going to be a lot larger than what I have now you can really see the difference in the photo . It will be nice for my summer garden I will have lot's of room for tomatoes etc . I am hoping to have it up by the middle of September . Take care buddy .

Brian

Brian, still not BIG enough!!!l lol..You need to set one up that allows the two of us to go in there and sun bath while we are surrounded byswinging monkey's and huge trees...lol

You know what I would do? I would invest in a misting system and nice fan to blow it all around..Yes, it would keep the greenhouse cool during the summer and humid during the winter, helping you to prevent bugs..Oh yes, you need to see if there is a gas heater you could hook up if you have gas..If not, get a couple of good space heaters, the ceramic kind, svanes electricity and and a pool cover now that it has been moved away from your tree..Brian, do you have under ground electricity going into there? An outlet? One that allows you to run two space heaters or possibly three at once along with a fan?

I can see it's going to be a beauty once it's up...Looks like you may have to use the both of them if it's not done in time....You are right..I need to lift mine up..I am going to HATE to have to cut back the tall branches reaching the ceiling of mine( Thank you for wishing me well. I was stomach sick and just plain ole weak..I wanted to do nothing..The humidity didn't help although my plants are loving it..Still no storms..They were all just 20 miles west of me again. What a joke..Until they plant the zillion of trees back, I'm screwed..(( IT's like either living in Arizona here, under a constant high pressure dome with no rain, or living along the Maine coast with lot's of drizzle that does nothing excpet wet the surfaces of my plants and cause mold..Arg. Yes, your figs trees need lots of light and warmth to grow fast enough to eat by summers end, and you have to get them started early, like say before April..But luckily, there are many types that do have a first crop in spring and then a second that will ripen in our climates....I have a few, and they all grow huge and ripen by now. I love those types..Have you ever tried a 'Tiger Fig'? They are striped and soooo sweeeetttt..They sell them at 'Whole food's' market..My goodness, Every time I go I buy them..lol Brian, please tell me they are not backing off on a warmer winter..I can't stand it any more..I can't stand having to use the space heaters so long and so early..Arg

Brian, how in the world did you get that grass to gorw so GREEN? It looks like turf...It's beautiful!! They say the that the the best way to know a mans character is by their green grass..lol I guess your good.. Whos cares if you don't have a six pack...Love you anyway!!

MIke

Mikey your so darn cute love Ya buddy . You gave me a bundle of laughs lol. I wish the hair on my head looked as thick and we'll groomed as my grass lol thank you . Mikey I will be running an extension cord a very good one to the GH . Next year we will get it placed underground the right way . Watch me run it over with the snowblower lol . It would have been so nice if we could of helped each other with the GH 's the base is a super big job . The old GH we just kind of threw the thing on the beams and never had a problem . This one we are taking our time and trying to make sure everything is level and is not going to move , not a fun job . Cory was so right . Mikey I can't believe you have not had a thunderstorm that's unreal what are the odds . I was looking at the satellite and it looks like there are some big storm's in western Mass. Now they are talking about a hurricane that might come very close to the Florida coast , I pray not . Its supposed to be near 90 all next week unreal .Mikey the tiger figs sound very yummy do you have a tree ? Glad your stomach is feeling better there is alot of stuff going around right now it's probably going to be a very bad winter for the flu . Mikey we are going to buy a pool cover but we are not sure what size to get any help from you would be greatly appreciated . Maggy emailed me were to buy the pool cover that was so nice of her Hi Maggy . I don't know if we will be able to party in there we could always try lol my tree's are getting so darn big . I am hoping to get a small table in there with a couple of chairs my fingers are crossed . Well my friend just had some guests drop in . Have a terrific night big hug . Hi Cory and Maggy.

Brian

Hi every one.

All in the family.

Hello everyone, nice pictures. Brian glad to see the greenhouse base looks good. You are such a neat worker! The grass is beautiful. My yard was a mess when my greenhouse went up. It took me years to get my surrounding lawn straightened out. There was so many rocks after all the digging and mounds of displaced dirt. I am still trying to get the land level and grass to grow back nice like it was. Steve, those are giant watermelons. I am amazed how you can get them to grow and ripen. Mike, we have not gotten more than a drop of rain all summer either. I made a quick trip home yesterday to mow the lawn and water and came back to the beach today. Everything is parched and dust. I didn't get anything done. For some reason I have not been able to charge my 40V batteries for my lawn mower and hedge clippers and weed wacker for 2 weeks. Maybe the electric company reduced voltage and that affects the charger? I tried all of my outlets and the chargers will not charge. I brought them to the shore to test them and they work there so I am hoping it is not a problem in my house. I am worried about my appliances. Also, I had no water pressure when I tried to water the bushes and lawn. Usually the sprinkler shoots 7 ft in the air but it only rose 1 inch so it was more like a soaker. It finally got up to 2 feet this morning but I had to leave as we had visitors coming. I am not sure what is going on with that either. With such low water pressure I really wasn't able to water the plants that well and 90°+ temperatures are expected this weekend and still no rain forecast for the next 2 weeks. I hope I don't lose plants and shrubs. It was so cold earlier this spring and summer and now so hot and dry. Steve, that is one scary looking critter you caught in your trap. Some critter is taking big bites out of my peppers. Maybe I have a critter like that in my yard too. The tooth marks look similar. I'm glad I didn't run into that guy when I was trying to water in the dark! I am missing Maggy here. I guess she is busy cooking up all her veggies and sauce. I wonder how her trees are coming along. It is nice to be at the beach during all this hot weather. It is about 10-15° cooler here, and almost chilly at night. Maggy must be missing those beautiful beaches of Portugal. We have hummingbirds and Goldfinch suddenly here. They like all the colorful flowers and the bayberry bushes. Sorry no pictures. There were a few orchids blooming and also the mother hoya plant is blooming even though it has been so arid, but I didn't have time to take pictures. Brian, do you think you will get the skeleton of the greenhouse up this weekend? It is looking good. Did you leave room to get between it and the fence this time? It looks close but that could be an illusion. So often people post pictures and their trees look like they are against a fence, but they just look that way in the picture.

Cory